Jul. 17 2023
Source Page: UK–Zimbabwe development partnership summaryFound: UK–Zimbabwe development partnership summary
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their financial support for Zimbabwe in the light of concerns that its Presidential election was not free and fair.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Minister for Development and Africa's statement on 31 August, the UK shares the view of the Election Observation Missions' preliminary statements that the pre-election environment and election day fell short of regional and international standards. Specific issues included a lack of transparency in the tallying of results, as well as the arrests of domestic observers. The UK remains committed to supporting Zimbabwe and its people on a path to long-term, inclusive, and resilient development, democracy, and prosperity. No UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) is channelled directly through Government of Zimbabwe systems. Instead, we work primarily through multilateral organisations, notably United Nations agencies, as well as international NGOs and the private sector ensuring maximum impact and targeted support reaches the most vulnerable Zimbabweans.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals have requested consular assistance in Zimbabwe in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provided consular assistance in Zimbabwe in 22 new cases in 2018, 34 new cases in 2019, 76 new cases in 2020, 33 new cases in 2021, 33 new cases in 2022, and 19 new cases to 16 October 2023.
Oral Evidence Jan. 30 2024
Inquiry: The UK Government’s work on achieving SDG2: Zero HungerFound: Eagles Malawi, and MeDRA (Methodist Relief and Development Agency) Zimbabwe Oral Evidence
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the recent ballot in the Zimbabwe national elections on (a) democracy and (b) freedom of speech in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK commends Zimbabwean voters for their peaceful participation in Zimbabwe's recent elections. However, the UK shares the views expressed in International Election Observation Mission preliminary statements that the pre-election period and election day fell short of regional and international standards. The UK is also concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the compiling of results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the severe disruption of domestic observation. We note the EU Observation Mission findings that over the election period "fundamental freedoms were increasingly curtailed" through "regressive legal changes". We also share the SADC Observation Mission's views that the passing of the amendments to the Criminal Law Code Amendment Act "resulted in severe restriction of freedom of expression".
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken a review of the legitimacy of the ballot in the Zimbabwe national elections held on 23 August.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Whilst we commend the people of Zimbabwe for demonstrating patience and resilience in exercising their democratic rights, and especially for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere on election day and beyond, we share the view of the Election Observation Missions' preliminary statements that the pre-election environment and election day fell short of regional and international standards. Issues included limited transparency from the electoral commission, the lack of level playing field, the passing of repressive legislation, long delays in the opening of some polling stations and reports of intimidation of voters. The UK takes note of the announcement by the Chair of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of results on 26 August. However, we are concerned by a lack of transparency in the tallying of results, as well as the arrests of domestic observers.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on the supply of official development assistance to Zimbabwe, in the context of the recent election in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is committed to supporting Zimbabwe and its people on a path to long-term, inclusive, and resilient development, democracy, and prosperity. The UK's development assistance addresses the priorities in the UK's International Development Strategy and is aligned with the Government of Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy. In particular it is focused on empowering women and girls, promoting global health, responding to humanitarian needs whilst building resilience to climate change, protecting biodiversity and delivering honest reliable investment. No UK ODA is channelled directly through Government of Zimbabwe systems. Instead, we work primarily through multilateral organisations, notably United Nations agencies, as well as international NGOs and the private sector.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Zimbabwe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working to increase trade and investment with Zimbabwe to help drive economic growth, create jobs and reduce poverty. Through our Economic Partnership Agreement, Zimbabwean companies have duty-free and quota-free access to the UK market, and we are particularly focused on supporting Zimbabwean exports of horticulture produce like blueberries and peas, increasing choices for UK consumers. We are also working to reduce barriers to UK investment in renewable energy and our technical assistance to strengthen the policy environment is unlocking new investment into independent solar power projects.